Antique Tractors Forum

[20 Reeves Highwheeler]

As long as I have shown you my first car and truck, I should also show you the car driven by the man whose company built them.

When the Towe Antique Ford Museum was located in Deer Lodge, Montana, at the former Montana Territorial Pennetentary, Ed Towe had this 1918 Model T Ford Coupe on display and it had been Henry Ford's personal automobile. It had several updates, such as wire wheels and 21" tires, starter & generator, plus the radiator shroud was a one of a kind, nickel plated low radiator type shell. It likely had some other updates I don't recall. Henry just liked THIS car and he was extremely frugal.
Gary

[mgood]

You know i never stopped to think of Henry having a favorite; a model T for Him would make sence.
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Come on in, sit right down, pull off Your boots, grab a cup of coffee; and join in the fun. I shall continue to wear these scars and the white in my beard with as much dignity as God and fellow man will allow me; for i feel that i have earned the right to do so.

[20 Reeves Highwheeler]

mgood,
It could be something like a teddy bear, or like my accordion. They are comfort and familiarity!

This first picture is one of the cars Dad and his brother's partnership owned, back on the farm. Uncle Frank is shown backing out of this 1925 Model T Coupe. Notice it has the 4.40X21" "balloon" wheels & tires on it, an extra cost option at that time. The books don't show it, but this one had a dark green body and black fenders and splash aprons. It is possible that within one hour of building this coupe, Henry could have been having the first 1926 Model headed down the assembly line, and they WERE available with that paint scheme and the wheels & tires.



This second picture has a sadness about it. My 85 year old friend Sadatoshi "Jim" Kajiwara allowed me to copy a bunch of his old photos several years ago. Jim said this beautiful circa 1910 automobile belonged to the "Oriental Trading Company" at Whitefish, Montana. Their quarters were later used as a hotel, but there were quarters in the building in front of the automobile and tunneling in the basement. Orientals (Japanese and Chinese) were brought here by this company and they were roomed and boarded, for a generous portion of their Great Northern Railway pay checks being retained by OTC for their ship fare and passage and getting them established here in Whitefish. I don't know how long the immigrants had to continue payments to OTC, but I'd bet it was in their favor? I believe Jim's grandfather Kajiwara came in that manner. Maybe even his father?
Gary

[JJ. in B.C.]

Love those old automobile pics an' the history behind
them Gary
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JJ.

[20 Reeves Highwheeler]

This is a picture of an Overland Touring Car that was owned by my aunt Maggie and uncle Charlie Shuckhart. I don't know if it was taken when they still lived in Montana (I think so?) or after they moved to Graceville, Minnesota. You may notice a gap in ages. The baby and girl on the running board are still living, but aged. Then I came along some 25+ years or so later.
Gary

[mgood]

Yeah Gary, that could be the same reason we all have our own particular makes and models we prefer over all others
_________________
Come on in, sit right down, pull off Your boots, grab a cup of coffee; and join in the fun. I shall continue to wear these scars and the white in my beard with as much dignity as God and fellow man will allow me; for i feel that i have earned the right to do so.

[20 Reeves Highwheeler]

This is a picture of my mother, brother Bill and Dad, beside the old 1937 Plymouth Coupe I came home from the hospital in when I was born.
Gary

[20 Reeves Highwheeler]

I thought this was a neat picture caption from an old American Thresherman. It was titled, "Peerless meets Peerless."

It is a Geiser Peerless steam engine and the car, a different company, I believe, was a Peerless automobile.
Gary

[Caseman]

Those are neat pictures Gary
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MY LIFE STORY


If you meet me and forget
me you have lost nothing. If you
meet God and forget him you
have lost every thing.

[steve from mo]

Those are nice pics. I know I may be getting a little far from the 1900's but a good friend of mine has an old 1928 overlands whippett his cousin got out of an old creek ditch. IT took them over a monthe to dig it out. it still had most of the wooden wagon wheels and everything esle was there. Engine and all, but he customized it and made it more modern with a chevy 350 v-8 and trans and newer rolling chassis, but still is a good looking car. Sorry I don't have a picture.

[20 Reeves Highwheeler]

Steve,
Wooden wheels don't last well in the elements. I understand that many older vehicles make great street rods, due to the archaic power systems and lack of wheels.

I put a couple of pictures on here of another Overland, I took pictures of at Belgrade, Montana several years ago at the Barnes Steam and Power Show. I don't know the year of the Touring car, but it has to be around 1910 and was beautifully restored. You could always tell these early Overlands by the ob-round (oval) shape of the radiator spout.





This is a picture of Milton O. Reeves (of steam engine fame, a younger brother of Marshall T., who built them) on his 1896 "Motorcycle" he built. Henry Ford hadn't been on the streets in Michigan much longer than Milton had been on the streets of Indiana with this vehicle, taken on 9-26-1896.

I'll be gone until Wednesday, so I'd like to wish each and every one of you a very Merry Christmas... And remember the REAL reason for the season!
Gary

[20 Reeves Highwheeler]

Here are a couple of pictures that were taken near Pendroy, Montana a few years ago. A friend of mine bought this first one at an auction sale held there. It is an International Harvester Company Autobuggy. I'm not positive of the age, but likely around 1911? I remember seeing it in a parade, and I took 16mm movies of it when the late owner, Charlie Bovey of Virginia City, Montana, owned it. It now lives at my friend Jim's in Billings, Montana.



This is a 1906 Cadillac and I think it is sure a cutie pie! I could really get off on owning a car like that. Notice the Montana Pioneer License plate number. That would indicate to me that Charlie Bovey also likely once owned this car as well. Charlie was a state senator and introduced the legislation to create these one time purchase antique automobile license plates and as a result, got something like the first 30 or so produced at the state pennitentiary, for his personal antique automobile collection.
Gary

[CRM]

Great pics and history guys. They sure don't make cars and trucks like they use to.
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Don't get to busy making a living to make a life.

[20 Reeves Highwheeler]

I'd promised this picture elsewhere before. It is of an old Model TT truck my dad and brothers hauled grain with. My uncle Adelrich is shown dumping wheat into a Milwaukee RR boxcar in the 1920s. This truck had an over center dump box. Henry Ford didn't build truck cabs until 1923. Up until that time if you wanted an enclosed truck you had a company who did wood working provide it. There were several companies who specialized in them at that time. The chassis would come driveable, but bare. Dad and his brothers, rather than pay for one of them, used the front half of another old Model T "chopped" Touring Car body.



I may have already posted this. You'll soon discover my short term memory isn't nearly as sharp as my long term memory! This was an old chopped touring Model T of 1913. I had it in a parade in Lewistown, Montana and had that old Victrola in the rear. My brother was a partner in the local radio station and we were advertizing it for a fair parade.
Gary

[Sky]

Those are great pictures I think it's great to actually be one of the very few that is able to actually document times in family and friends and stuff like that. Thats great